When you consider some of the names that have graced the tennis courts over the years, you can’t help but be impressed. We’ve seen names such as Becker, McEnroe, Borg, Agassi, Williams, Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, and many more besides, absolutely dominate the courts over the years, seemingly winning everything there is to win.
Professional tennis is a sport of endurance, stamina, precision, athleticism, coordination, and technical ability. It’s one of the hardest sports to turn pro at, making it even more impressive when a pro is able to secure a Grand Slam.
The Grand Slams, as they are known, are at the forefront of every tennis player’s list of goals and objectives, and winning one over the course of your career is a huge honor and an amazing accomplishment. Winning two is even more impressive, winning three is fantastic, and winning four puts you amongst the tennis elite.
While some of the all-time greats of tennis have won all four grand slams numerous times over the course of their careers, only a select few have accomplished this feat in one calendar year. By a select few, we mean just 5 players.
Here’s a look at the 5 players who have won all 4 Grand Slams in the same year.
What Are the Grand Slam Tournaments?
Each year, there are 4 Grand Slam tennis tournaments that take place in one calendar year. They are the biggest tournaments in tennis, with each one taking place in a different country.
The four Grand Slams are as follows:
- Australian Open
- French Open
- Wimbledon
- US Open
Some people call the Olympic Games the “Fifth Grand Slam.” However, in order to win a Grand Slam title, a tennis player must win any of the four main Grand Slams, so winning gold at the Olympics isn’t a necessity (though it must be nice).
The Grand Slams are, of course, held at different times of the year, with three different playing surfaces being used (hard, clay, and grass).
Australian Open
The first Grand Slam tournament in the tennis calendar is the Australian Open.
This tournament is eagerly anticipated by keen tennis fans, not only because it signifies the start of a new tennis season, but also because it is one of the most competitive Grand Slams of the year.
Taking place from the middle to the end of January each year, the Australian Open is held at the prestigious Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia.
This tournament can be traced back to 1905, when it was initially known as the Australasian Championships, before undergoing a re-branding and overhaul in 1968.
This tournament is held on hard-surfaced courts.
The current (2022) Australian Open champion is Rafael Nadal.
French Open
The next Grand Slam tournament in the tennis calendar is the French Open, which takes place at the end of May each year and extends into early June.
The French Open is also referred to as the Roland-Garros and is held in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland-Garros.
First established all the way back in 1891. Initially, it was a tournament solely for members of private French tennis clubs. In 1925 however, this changed as it expanded to include amateur players from all over the globe. This made it a major international tennis tournament.
The French Open is a firm favorite of Rafael Nadal due to the fact that it is held on a clay surface. This bright orange surface is unique, not only in appearance but also in how it affects the ball, causing it to bounce higher than usual.
Nadal is the current (2022) French Open champion, which is one of the main reasons why he is known as the ‘King of Clay.’
Wimbledon
For many tennis lovers, Wimbledon is the pinnacle of the tennis calendar. It is the most popular and prestigious Grand Slam tournament.
Wimbledon is held in Wimbledon, London, England, at the end of June, stretching into the middle of July. It is the quintessential summer tennis tournament (despite the often dismal UK weather) and is enjoyed by thousands upon thousands of live fans, many of whom tuck into fresh ripe English strawberries and cream as they watch the action unfold.
The tournament is the only one to have always been played on grass. It began back in 1877 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. It was initially advertised as a tennis tournament that was ‘open to all amateurs’ and cost eleven shillings to enter. Players had to provide their own rackets and equipment.
Today, it is watched by millions upon millions of fans from all over the world.
The current Wimbledon champion is Novak Djokovic, who defeated the fiery and polarising Nick Kyrgios of Australia in the final to claim his 7th Wimbledon title.
US Open
The last of the ‘big four’ Grand Slam Tournaments is the US Open.
The final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open (not to be confused with the golf US Open), is another hard surface tournament that takes place at the end of August and runs until the middle of September.
The US Open is held at the USTA National Tennis Center, Flushing, Queens. It was first held in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1881. It was similar to the French Open in that only private US tennis club members were permitted to enter. However, this changed by the end of the 1880s, and amateurs were allowed to enter.
The current US Open champion is Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.
The Summer Olympic Games
Unofficially known as the ‘Fifth Grand Slam,’ the summer Olympic Games have a storied history in tennis.
Tennis was a staple game in the Olympics from 1896 until 1924 when it was inexplicably dropped from the contest. Tennis would remain out of the Olympics until 1988 when it was picked up again.
Held every four years, if a tennis player is able to win all four Grand Slams, as well as Gold in the Olympics in a calendar year, they will complete what is known as the ‘Golden Grand Slam.’
As of 2022, only one player in the history of tennis has been able to achieve this incredible feat in a calendar year. The player in question is the amazing Steffi Graf, who is, without question, one of the greatest female tennis players in the history of the sport.
Who Has Won All 4 Grand Slams in the Same Year?
So, we know that there have been just 5 players in the history of tennis to ever achieve four Grand Slams in a calendar year. And we know that Steffi Graf is one of them, but who are the others?
Here’s a look at the 5 players who have made history by winning all four Grand Slams in a single calendar year.
Steffi Graf, 1988
Starting off with the one you all now definitely know, we have the fantastic Steffi Graff.
1988 was a truly special year for Steffi when she did the unthinkable and completed the Golden Grand Slam by winning all four Grand Slams and gold at the Olympic Games.
Steffi Graf is considered by many to be Germany’s greatest-ever tennis star. In 1988, she lived up to this claim by not only winning the four major Grand Slams, but also by winning gold at the summer Olympics and securing the WTA Tour Championships, aged just 19.
She would continue to add Grand Slams to her resume, winning four more between 1993 and 1994. She would retire in 1999, aged 30, while ranked as No. 3 in the world. What an amazing athlete.
Margaret Court, 1970
When people think of female tennis players nowadays, the Williams Sisters obviously spring to mind right away, and for a good reason too. Going back a couple of decades before Venus and Serena burst onto the scene, however, we have Margaret Court.
Margaret, aged just 28, won 4 consecutive Grand Slams in 1970, in one of the most amazing years of any pro athlete in any sport.
Court is one of the greatest female tennis players to ever pick up a racket. She is also the only player to have ever won the Boxed Set not once, but twice. When a player wins a Boxed Set, this means that they have won all of the events in all of the slams, including the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
At the time, she was also one of the youngest tennis players to have ever completed a Career Grand Slam.
Maureen Connolly Brinker, 1953
Continuing with our ‘Girl Power’ theme, we have American tennis star Maureen Connolly Brinker.
In all, Maureen would win 9 singles titles over the course of her career, though her best competitive year came in 1953 when she completed all four Grand Slams in a calendar year.
While the tennis world loves a rivalry, rivalries such as Federer vs. Djokovic, Federer vs. Nadal, and of course, Borg vs. McEnroe have created some wonderful tennis moments; in the 1950s, it was Maureen Connolly Brinker vs. Doris Hart that was the tennis rivalry of the decade.
In her Grand Slams winning year, Maureen would face Doris Hart in 3 out of the 4 finals without even losing a single set.
Even before her Calendar Grand Slam, Maureen was an incredibly successful tennis star, as she had won 3 Grand Slams before.
In 1953, she also made history because she was the only woman to have ever completed a Career Slam. Her on-court rival Doris Hart, however, would repeat this feat to become the second woman to achieve this the following year in 1954.
The records don’t stop there, however, as Connolly Brinker became the youngest player to ever complete a Calendar Slam, aged just 18.
Don Budge, 1938
Now we’re heading back in time, almost one century, to 1938.
American tennis player, Don Budge is one of the most respected players in the history of the sport. He picked up numerous titles and accomplishments to help back prove why that is.
Don made history in 1938 when he became the first tennis player to ever achieve a Calendar Grand Slam. To this day, he is still the only male singles competitor to win 6 consecutive Grand Slam titles, beginning in Wimbledon in 1937, and ending in the US, at the US Open in 1938.
Budge was just 23 years of age when he achieved his Calendar Grand Slam, and many predicted amazing things for this young athlete. Sadly, because of the Second World War, many Grand Slam Tournaments couldn’t be held for much of the 1940s, so Don missed what would surely have been the peak of his athletic career.
Despite this, making history with a Calendar Grand Slam and 6 consecutive Grand Slam wins is nothing to be sniffed at, and that’s putting it incredibly mildly.
Rod Laver, 1962 and 1969
Finally, we have the only tennis player to ever win two Calendar Grand Slams, in the form of Rod Laver.
While Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal are considered by many to be the best tennis players ever, Rod Laver, in the eyes of many old-school tennis fans, is the greatest singles tennis player of all time.
Rod won 11 Grand Slam titles over the course of his career, including 2 Calendar Grand Slams in 1962 and 1969.
To win one is incredible, but to win two, seven years apart, shows just what an amazing athlete he was and what a gifted tennis player the Australian was.
